With less than two months to go to The Masters at Augusta – the first Major of the year – the golfing year is really kicking into gear.
Could there be a surprise winner at Augusta in 2022 and could it be a Green Jacket for a veteran golfer, who spans the different eras.
With an eye on that, we’ve been looking at the five oldest Major Championship winners.
Phil Mickelson
You cannot keep Phil Mickelson out of the limelight and his stunning success at the 2021 USPGA Championship saw him break the record for the oldest ever Major winner.
‘Lefty’ had reached his half-century – 50 years, 11 months and seven days to be exact, before getting his hands on the Wanamaker Trophy for the second time.
Even though he already had five Majors in his locker, Mickelson had not had a top-10 finish in 16 ‘Big Four’ tournaments prior to the event at Kiawah Island.
After an opening round of 70, the veteran then led from the end of round two until the close on Sunday, winning by two shots over Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen.
Mickelson has three Green Jackets to his name and the 51-year-old is 80/1 to further extend his lead at the top of the ‘Oldest Major Winner’ standings.
Julius Boros
As with Phil Mickelson, Boros was already a Major winner, having claimed two US Opens before his PGA victory in 1968.
At the age of 48 years, four months and 18 days, the man from Connecticut won the 50th edition of the US PGA Championship – which took place at Pecan Valley Golf Club in Texas.
Boros, who was of Hungarian descent, was tied-3rd going into the fourth day and he carded a final round 69 to hold off the challenge of legendary pair Arnold Palmer and Bob Charles and win by a shot.
Tom Morris Senior
We have to go all the way back to 1867 for the third golfer on the list, with Tom Morris Snr collecting the Open Championship title at Prestwick.
Morris Senior was 46 years, three months and 10 days when he won the fourth of his Claret Jugs, having already won in 1861, 1862 and 1864.
The Scot won the 1867 tournament – then played over three rounds – by two shots and collected the first-prize winnings of £7!
Jack Nicklaus
Fourth on the list is the man with the most Majors to his name, with Jack Nicklaus winning the last of his 18 titles at Augusta in 1986.
At the age of 46 years, two months and 23 days, ‘The Golden Bear’ won his sixth Green Jacket – much to the delight of the fans who roared him home.
Nicklaus was tied for ninth going into the final round, but carded a brilliant 65 on Sunday to eventually win by a shot, over Tom Kite and third-round leader Greg Norman.
There were an incredible 24 years between Nicklaus’ first Major – the 1962 US Open – and his last at the 1986 Masters.
Jerry Barber
At 45 years, three months and six days, Jerry Barber makes it on to the list in fifth after his success at the 1961 PGA Championship.
This was the one and only Major victory for the man from Illinois, with success coming after a play-off at Olympia Fields – in his home state.
After rounds of 69-67-71-70, Barber won an 18-hole Monday play-off against fellow American Don January.
*All odds correct at time of writing
